Alice awoke early the next morning to grey skies and brisk winds. There would be no walk today. There was no denying that in the far north, winter had come at last. She looked to her left where Eugeo lay in his own bed still fast asleep. As quietly as she could, she slipped from the comfort of her warm sheets, wincing as her bare feet touched the cold wood floor.
She crossed the threshold of the bedroom, silently closing the door behind her before she padded her way to the front door, lifting her blue yarn shawl off its hook to slip around her nightgown clad shoulders before putting a kettle on the stove for her and Eugeo's morning coffee. As she listened to the tree branches hitting the roof of the cottage she sat down at the table to write.
She stared down at the blank piece of parchment with pen in hand. It was meant to be a letter of farewell to Selka, but she had no idea where to start. There were so many things she wanted to say to her beloved younger sister, and yet, the words refused to come. Perhaps it was because every reason for leaving sounded hallow in her mind. Eugeo's words from the night before rang loudly through her head. There was no denying it.
She was running away again.
She dropped the quill pen onto the table and hung her head in her hands, sighing heavily. Now that Eldrie knew about this house, they couldn't stay here. Next, it wouldn't be Eldrie coming to try to recruit her, but Commander Bercouli himself. And Alice didn't have the words she ought to say to her sword master.
The bedroom door eased open just as the whistle started sounding from the kettle. Alice moved to prepare two cups of coffee. Eugeo rolled his chair through the frame. There was an easy smile on his face, at least at first glance. As she looked a bit closer she could see the slight nervous tension gathered at the corners of his eyes. She noted that he had taken the time to get dressed, too. By himself. Apparently he wasn't lying when he said he didn't need her help.
"Good morning!"
He practically chirped as he rolled to his empty spot at the table. Alice frowned as she poured the cream into the aromatic brown liquid. In one night they had swapped places. Now she was morose and he was the one pretending to be cheerful. She placed a coffee cup down in front of him. The nervous tension moved to include the corners of his mouth as he noticed the paper in front of her. The only words she had written thus far were Dear Selka.
"So we really are leaving, huh?"
Alice looked down at her hands in shame. She started wringing her fingers together. It was a nervous habit she had picked up over the last six months. She chanced a quick glance at him. His face was patient; his eyes kind. She knew she could speak her mind and there would be no judgment.
"I know it is cowardly, but—"
A heavy reluctant sigh cut her off.
"Look, Alice, about last night…I know I said some pretty awful things. I'm really sorry. It was unfair to you. And if you think that leaving is the right call, then I'm with you all the way."
She bit into her lower lip. The truth was that she didn't know if leaving was the right course of action. It was most definitely the easiest one, but the right one? Alice peeked over to Eugeo and saw him rubbing the back of his neck with one of his strong calloused hands, seeming almost embarrassed, and looking off into the middle distance known as the western wall of their cabin. Just like Kirito used to do, a small voice whispered in the back of her mind. A voice that sounded suspiciously like herself as a young girl.
Alice shook her head to clear that thought away. She and Alice Zuberg were two completely different people. Synthesis-Thirty was an intruder, and as a knight she had never seen Kirito do such a gesture. She looked at Eugeo again. His arm was still raised with his hand on his neck, but this time he was staring back at her with an expectant look on his face.
Alice felt herself draw in an unexpected breath. After six months of avoiding eye contact, to see him looking so directly at her now was causing her heart to race. She didn't want to admit to herself that it wasn't an altogether unpleasant sensation, either. The resolve in his eyes spoke of a confidence in her that she herself did not feel. Perhaps it is time to change that, the voice whispered again.
…Yes, Alice mentally whispered back in agreement. She couldn't decide whether to stay or to leave, but there was something else she could do. Inside her mind was a locked door that she had simultaneously feared and longed to walk through for months, and last night the beautiful boy sitting next to her had finally presented her with the key.
"Eugeo, the things said last night may have been hurtful, but I needed to hear them. And I think you needed to say them. Those thoughts and feelings were consuming you, so in a way I'm glad…But I want to revisit what you said after all of that."
Alice uncertainly reached her hand out to him and sighed in relief when he grabbed her palm in both of his without hesitation. He gave her a kind smile with none of the strain it held previously. The small circles his thumbs were drawing on her wrist caused her heart to speed up again.
"You said that you had a way to restore my memories."
"I did, but the last thing I want is for you to feel pressured. Take all the time you need to decide."
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Alice scowled, then screwed her good eye shut. She needed a moment to organize her thoughts. If she wasn't careful, he (and his frustratingly handsome eyes) would end up talking her out of this.
"No. I do not need, nor do I want time. And if what Eldrie said was true, then we don't have the luxury of it anyway." She opened her eyes and looked into his with all the determination she could muster. "I want my memories back. I need my memories back. Please…give them to me."
He returned her pleading gaze with a resolute one of his own. He repeatedly nodded his head so slightly that she wasn't sure if he was even aware he was doing it before squeezing her hand again and releasing it. His right hand retreated under the table where he seemed to be searching for something. The opening of his pocket perhaps?
His hand reappeared on the table grasping a pink clump of fabric. As he set it down on the tabletop and attempted to smooth it out Alice gasped. It was the handkerchief she had loaned to Kirito.
"But…how? I saw Kirito place it in his pocket. I thought it had been lost with him."
Eugeo tenderly unwrapped something from inside it before returning it to her. She eagerly accepted it, smiling fondly at it while gently caressing her fingers over the golden olive branch embroidery. In that moment she finally understood Eugeo's attachment to Kirito's black sword. For her, this flimsy piece of fabric was her final connection to the impulsive swordsman.
She brought it to her nose and inhaled. Of course, it smelled like Eugeo as it had been in his pocket for who knows how long, but she could almost convince herself that there was a still a musky undertone that belonged to Kirito and Kirito alone.
"Thank you. I didn't realize how much I missed this until I saw it."
"Of course."
Alice turned her fond gaze from the cloth in her own hands towards Eugeo's. Cradled within them was a familiar crystal. The crack going down its center had once been dark and ugly, but it appeared to have slowly been healing itself over the last six months. Now its inner glimmer was shining brighter than ever. Eugeo held it up between them and even in the dull grey morning light it still managed to sparkle, casting rainbow prisms all over the room.
"I'm going to be honest, I don't know what will happen to you after we do this. I became self aware while I was still a knight, so I don't know what removing the piety module will do to the memories you currently possess. Also, I only have second hand knowledge from Cardinal on how to complete the reversal ritual as, again, with Administrator my situation was very different from yours. And what Cardinal told me was only the basics at that."
"What are you saying exactly?"
"What I'm saying is that I'm making a jab in the dark. You are the first person to ever undergo this as I don't really count." He lowered his hand back to the table and gripped the shard in his fist, inhaling sharply through his nose. "We just don't know what's going to happen. You could end up being perfectly fine, or…Or."
"Or what?! Please finish that thought!"
Eugeo let an involuntarily chuckle escape before clearing his throat.
"Or you could end up forgetting the last eight years and regressing mentally back into your eleven year old self. That is if you wake up at all…So you see my reservations?"
Alice leaned back in her chair as the weight of what she was asking settled over her. She imagined herself standing on the edge of a very tall cliff with clouds obstructing her view of the bottom. The truth was that these risks barely phased her. She wanted her memories back. Everyone else wanted her her memories back, too. In the end there was never a decision to make. The only thing left to do was to take action. She raised her eyes to his, feeling an immovable resolve that had been absent for months.
"I have decided I do not care. Let's do this as soon as possible. This morning, after breakfast."
"…Alright. If that's really what you want."
It was time to jump.
"It is."
-WoU-
Alice laid on her bed, clenching and unclenching her fists around the now creased fabric of the patchwork quilt. She could feel the tension she was holding in her jaw and brows as she trained all of her focus onto the ceiling; staring unblinkingly at the knots in the wooden beams above her. She heard the wheels of Eugeo's chair as he rolled up next to her. She didn't look at him.
"You ready?"
"Not really." And it was the truth. Alice doubted that she would ever be ready. The words Kirito had spoken kept pushing to the forefront of her mind. When you do get your memories back, you're not going to be who you are right now anymore. Alice Synthesis Thirty the integrity knight will be gone. And all the memories you have now will be gone. You'll go back to being Alice Zuberg, the girl from a village up north. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Eugeo remembered his time as an integrity knight, though, so who was right?
Would she remember or would she forget?
"Actually, I feel sick to my stomach. I am worried something is going to go horribly wrong."
"You should be."
Her head jerked to left so she could see him. He sounded entirely too nonchalant in her opinion! Neither his easy smile, nor his relaxed posture helped her anxiety.
"What?!"
"I mean, of course you should be. I don't know what I'm doing. I could end up killing you simply by accident."
The twinkle in his eye told her that he was joking, but her nerves were entirely too shot to appreciate the punchline. Eugeo reached out to stroke the long golden hair on her head. Her breathing calmed with every pass his hand made by her face. She felt her fingers relax their grip on the bedding as the slow, deep breaths lulled her into an almost trancelike state. She could do this. She had to. For her parents. For Selka. For Eugeo.
For Alice Zuberg.
"Alright…Let's get this over with."
"Okay. You remember the words I told you?"
"Yes…"
This was it. There would be no turning back after those words were said. She suddenly grabbed for Eugeo's hand. She needed him to ground her. He had done so much for her. Been through so much for her. She could do this one little thing for him in return. She could give Alice Zuberg back at long last. Please let Kirito be wrong, her heart whispered. I don't want to go. It was her final wish.
"…System call…"
One last deep breath.
"…Remove core protection…"
-WoU-
Eugeo sat outside the bathroom with his forehead leaning against the locked door. He knocked again.
"Alice? Can we talk? Please? You've been in there for over an hour already."
Just like the last few times, he was met with only the faint sounds of sloshing water.
"Come on, it's got to be cold in there by now…You're going to get sick."
More sloshing sounds. Eugeo heaved a heavy sigh.
The reverse ritual seemed to have gone well. After it was done she had looked at him with the recognition he had longed for since they were reunited six months prior. She had smiled at him with the power of the sun and had said his name with just as much warmth, but then the smile faded and gave way to a horror stricken expression. He had reached for her, but she all but ran from the bedroom into the bathroom.
Two minutes later he'd heard the tub being filled with water.
He sighed again, this time with unrestrained frustration. His right hand moved to the knob and started furiously jiggling it before letting go and smacking that same hand against the door.
"I don't need you to open this door, you know! If I can move an axe head, then a few tumblers in a lock are nothing!"
This time there was a large splash followed by a very loud thump against the door causing him to jolt away from the wooden blockade.
"GO AWAY!" She wailed. He could hear the tears in her voice. This wasn't how their reunion was supposed to go. Then again, if the last two-and-a-half years had taught him anything it was that life hardly ever turned out the way you expected. All you could do was roll with the punches; sometimes literally. He leaned his head against the door again.
"Alice…this isn't something you should go through by yourself. Just let me in for five minutes and then I'll leave you alone, okay?"
A small hiccup accompanied the sloshing water sounds this time. Eugeo couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face.
"Look, I'm not leaving until you talk to me, so I hope you're comfortable in there because I am fully prepared to stay here all night."
There was a brief hesitation before, "…So that means I just have to wait until the morning, then?"
His small smile turned into a full grin as he leaned back in his chair. She was quiet and most definitely still upset, but at least it sounded as though the crying had stopped.
"That's right. But I hope you're not expecting me to provide meals for you in your self quarantine. I can't exactly reach the stove, you know."
"…Fine. You can can come in."
He waited a few moments, but there was no indication she was going to unlock the door.
"Um, Alice?…The door?"
"You open it. As you took the time to point out, you are more than capable. I refuse to move from this spot."
"…Okay. Th-that's fair. I guess."
Eugeo gently placed his right hand back on the door knob. It took no effort for him to find the vibrations of the lock's tumblers and tune himself to them. Everything in this world had a slight hum to it. It reminded Eugeo of the series of lightning storms the village had experienced one summer when he was a child. He had felt the same hum whenever the lightning had caused the hairs on the backs of his arms to stand up.
If you paid close enough attention to the hum, then you could actually start to feel an item exist and not exist simultaneously. It was in that split second of not existing that Eugeo could mentally fill the void with his own vibration and grab hold of the object to move it. He didn't even have to think about it anymore. The skill had become second nature to him.
He had several regrets associated with becoming the Administrator's puppet, as brief a time as it was, but learning the secret to [Incarnate Arms] was not one of them. Since losing the use of his legs and being stuck in his chair it was the only way he was able to keep some of his own independence. Alice had asked him yesterday when the last time he had polished his sword was. The answer was almost every night. It helped to avoid the nightmares.
He polished hers, too.
He heard the click of the lock and smoothly twisted the knob, before lightly pushing the door open. The moment he did a huge cloud of steam escaped the room. That was odd. The water should have been completely cold by that point. And all the steam gone with the heat.
"Be careful of the soap on the ground," she said in a small voice.
So that was what she had thrown at the door. He rolled through the doorway, mentally picking up the bar of soap and plopping it back into the bathwater. The humidity of the room caused his clothing to feel uncomfortable against his skin; the raised temperature causing his cheeks to grow warm. Seriously—
"How is it this hot in here? Your water should be stone cold by now!"
"I have been dropping thermal elements into the water."
Well, that would explain the steam. He took her in as she sat in the middle of the tub with her knees pulled up to her chest. A sheen of sweat covered her face as well as her arms and back. Her smooth bare back. He felt his face go red for an entirely different reason and quickly averted his gaze to the safest place he could think: the ceiling. She cast a disinterested gaze in his direction.
"You do not have to look away, you know. We used to bathe together all the time."
"When we were five!"
"So?" She raised her eyebrows ever so slightly. "What is your point?"
"My point is—" Eugeo risked a glance down at her and his gaze landed on her clasped hands resting atop her knees. The were completely red and looked as though they had been scrubbed raw. "Alice, your hands," he whispered in quiet horror and hurriedly maneuvered his chair to her side. He reached for her hands only for her to suddenly dip them back below the water.
"They are fine. Calm down."
"What happened to them in the first place?"
"They were…unclean."
She pointedly turned her head away from him. The tips of her ears turned a slight pink hue. And her shoulders hunched up ever so slightly. That was when Eugeo realized what he was looking at.
Shame.
Of course. He should have expected this really. After all, didn't he go so far as to attempt suicide by combat in order to atone for the deeds of Eugeo Synthesis Thirty-two? He carefully reached into the warm water and grabbed her left hand before pulling it back above the surface. He gently placed it in his lap, and wrapped both of his hands around her one with all the tenderness that he could muster. Her shoulders hunched up even more.
"Alice…It's going to be okay."
"Oh, really?" He didn't appreciate the sarcasm in her tone. "You don't know that."
"Yes, I do. And I promise that you aren't going to feel like this forever."
She slowly turned her head to look at him. The incredulous look in her one good eye was highlighted by the obvious tear tracks going down her face. She attempted to pull her hand away, but he only gripped it tighter.
"How can you promise such a thing when I can still recall the touch of her phantom fingertips pressing against my mind? Playing with me."
Eugeo gave her a sad look. He started to gently run his thumb over the back of her hand in what he hoped was a soothing manner. In actuality he couldn't make that promise as he was only just starting to forgive himself for his sins committed on the Administrator's behalf.
"I know," he whispered.
Alice lifted her right hand out of the water to glare at it.
"The things she made me do with these hands. The horrible atrocities I carried out simply for her amusement!"
"I know."
The tears started falling down her face again. She slammed her right hand back into the water causing a large splash. The water tumbled over the sides of the tub and soaked not only the floor, but Eugeo's legs as well. He barely noticed. Her demeanor was becoming more agitated. Her speech louder.
"How many people have I hurt?! How much suffering did I cause?!"
"I know."
He continued responding to her in quiet tones placing as much empathy and compassion as he could into those two tiny words.
"And the most disgusting part of it all is the fact that even though she has been dead for months, I still didn't appreciate the scope of what I had done because that thing in my head would not allow me to dwell on such thoughts. Even when I thought I was choosing for myself, I was still her puppet!"
"I know."
"STOP SAYING THAT!"
She finally pulled her hand away from his and turned the full force of her intimidating glare on him. For his credit he didn't flinch. He didn't even look away. He leveled her with a look of his own. It was full of sorrow. Then, he took a deep breath.
"But I do know. I am all too familiar with that poisonous mixture of guilt and regret and anger running through your veins right now. Alice, remember that I was the one who tried to kill you and Kirito just because she told me to. And I have to live with that for the rest of my life."
Her face softened and her mouth went slightly slack as the realization sunk in the he did know. In fact, he was the only person in the world who knew exactly how she was feeling. Without stopping to think about what she was doing she climbed out of the tub and sat herself sideways across his lap; throwing her arms around his neck and holding on for what felt like dear life. His chair rolled backwards slightly from her momentum. Eugeo was now white knuckling the arms of the seat.
"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice. "I should not have shut you out like that."
After forcing a few deep breaths through his nose, Eugeo relaxed his hands and wrapped his arms around her back. Her bare back. Oh, Stacia, give me strength. Now is not the time! He desperately tried to pivot his attention to her emotional well-being, but with his every breath he could feel his hard chest press into her soft one. He was doomed.
They sat together like that for several minutes, but to Eugeo it could have been hours or even days. Eventually Alice must have noticed his severely rigid posture because she leaned back to look at his a face, her own morphing into a dissatisfied frown.
"What is wrong with you? Why are you so stiff?"
Eugeo looked at her as though she had Greater Swampflies crawling out of her ears. She couldn't possibly be that oblivious to the situation she had placed him in, could she?! He opened his mouth to respond, but only unintelligible noises came out. He could see the exact moment it dawned on her exactly what was happening to him as her glower transformed into a wolfish grin.
The unsettling anticipatory smile was one he had seen many times before not just on her face but Kirito's as well. It was a smile that dredged up a wealth of childhood memories involving the many shenanigans that the blonde haired girl and the black haired boy had cooked up together. Shenanigans that usually ended with Eugeo being punished for something he hadn't done. It was a smile that told Eugeo that he was in for an entirely different kind of trouble in the very near future.
Alice deliberately leaned forward again until their noses touched and asked, "Eugeo, am I making you…nervous?"
His only response was a hard swallow.
After Eugeo had managed to convince Alice to get dressed and heal her hands, the rest of the day flew by uneventfully. Aside from when Alice strutted out to the main room where she had been writing earlier and methodically crumpled up the used piece of parchment in her determined hands while gleefully declaring, "Well, I certainly won't be needing this anymore!" And then tossed it into the lit wood stove.
Eugeo immediately attempted to retrieve it from the blistering inferno as he shouted, "What do you think you're doing?! Don't you know how expensive parchment is?!" Unfortunately he was too late and was only able to watch as the last of its life ran out causing it to burst into little specks of light.
That night as Eugeo laid in his bed he tried to sort through his emotions from the day. He, of course, was incredibly happy to have Alice back to her former self, but there also was the bittersweet reality that Kirito wasn't around to see it, too. The three of them were supposed to return to Rulid together. That was the promise he had made Selka, but was unable to keep. The three of them would never be together again.
In truth, part of him was relieved that Kirito wasn't here. Eugeo could see clear as day the way women reacted to the dark swordsman. It wasn't surprising given his natural disposition. He had possessed a real love for life as well as a kindness that could place anyone at ease. To pair these qualities with his cryptic wisdom that had seemed beyond his years it was no wonder that so many people, both men and women alike, were drawn to him. It made Eugeo's heart hurt to think of what might have happened between Alice and Kirito if he had lived.
Obviously, these thoughts brought with them immense amounts of guilt. His best friend was dead and he wasn't coming back. And if Eugeo looked at it objectively, most likely nothing would have happened between his two best friends. After all, in the passed two years, Kirito had seemed to go out of his way to avoid being around women unless it was absolutely necessary. He was especially talented at avoiding ending up alone with them. If it wasn't for how casually the man had acted around Miss Lina and Ronye, then Eugeo might have thought he'd actually been scared of them.
The blonde haired man was pulled from his thoughts by his blankets being pulled from his chest. He looked up to see Alice climbing into his bed with him.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"My feet get cold at night."
She nonchalantly fluffed the pillow that she had dragged with her from her own bed, then readjusted the bedding so that it was properly covering both of their torsos. She let out a sigh of contentment as her body relaxed into the mattress beneath her.
"Then put on a pair of socks! There is no reason for us to share a bed!"
She frowned and rolled up onto left arm, resting her head in her palm. She was entirely too close again.
"They always end up twisted around the wrong way. Besides, I do not understand why you are so upset. We used to always share a bed when we were younger."
"That wasn't a bed; it was a crib! And it was only for afternoon naps!"
Alice rolled her eyes before collapsing her arm. She let out an exasperated sigh and proceeded to curl herself into his side. The anxiety Eugeo felt rising in his chest was the same mental panic he had experienced earlier in the bathroom. She was entirely too close and she didn't seem to care about his discomfort. In fact, she seemed to be taking pleasure in it.
"You're so tense, Eugeo. Just relax and go to sleep," Alice gently whispered. Quite contrary to her behavior just moments before, it was as though she didn't want to disturb the calm of the night. He felt her head turn to nuzzle his chest and then a slight added pressure over his heart. Were those her lips? He forced himself to breath deeply and release the taught muscles in his back. This would be fine. He could do this. After he extracted a few more deep breaths, the forced ease of his body became more natural. Alice's slow, even breaths were definitely helping. And just as he was about to drift off to sleep…
Amayori started keening outside.
Alice immediately stirred at his side. She lifted her head from his shoulder and blearily squinted towards the window that faced the front yard. As Amayori continued to whine Alice sat fully upright. Her head sluggishly turned to him and she asked, "Do you know what is causing her distress?"
Eugeo had no answer for her. For so much wind and gloom that morning the night was completely silent and still. Wait. Not silent. In the distance was a rumbling sound, deep and rhythmic, with intervals of…was that clanging?
"Do you hear that?"
This time Alice trained her ear towards the front yard. A confused frown appeared on her brows. She looked down at Eugeo.
"What is that?"
They moved simultaneously. Alice flipped the covers off her legs and proceeded to climb over Eugeo so as to get a better look out the window as he pushed himself into a sitting position. With the shifting of bedding and limbs she briefly lost her balance only for Eugeo to grab her hips and steady her. Ignoring his urge to blush, he looked up at her and asked, "Well, what do you see?"
"Not much. Amayori is dangerously close to trampling the vegetable garden."
"What direction is she facing?"
"The north, towards the mountains. And…there is a light! It's faint, but it's there."
Eugeo felt his spine straighten in shock. He tried to peer out the window himself, but as Alice was up on her knees blocking the whole pane there was nothing for him to see. He watched as Alice bit her lip in concentration, staring at some unseen spot. Then, she rolled her shoulders back. There was a new look of determination on her face. It was a look that Eugeo had not seen in six months. She had made a decision.
"I'm going to get a closer look."
She clambered over Eugeo again and all but ran through the bedroom door. Startled, Eugeo began his own frantic efforts of slipping out of bed and into his chair.
-WoU-
Alice sped to the front door where her coat and boots were kept. With practiced ease she slipped them onto her willowy frame and turned to a forgotten corner of the main room. In this corner was a wardrobe that she had trained her eye to pass over without regard or thought. She stepped up to it now and with only a brief hesitation opened the doors wide.
She couldn't help the glance she paid to the golden glow on the right side. It was her armor from her integrity knight days. Equal parts nostalgia and disgust rolled over her in waves. Memories of days gone by—both good and bad—flitted through her mind in rapid succession as she gingerly laid her hand on the cold metal. Perhaps one day she would wear it again, but not tonight. She let her hand slip away as she reached into the left side of the wardrobe for what she was really after: Amayori's saddle and bridle.
With a grunt she lifted them into her arms and started back to the front door as Eugeo rolled into the main room, an alarmed look on his face.
"You aren't seriously going out there, are you?"
"I have to."
"Why?!"
She released a heavy agitated sigh and unceremoniously dumped her riding goods on the kitchen table.
"Because if what Eldrie said was true and the dark territory has excavated the cave, then we are the last defense between them and the village."
"So? Screw the village!"
"Eugeo!" Alice took a deep breath to steady herself before leveling a hard stare at him. "Selka is down there. My parents are down there. Yourparents are down there. So are your brothers. So is your sister and her husband, as well as their two children. Yes, they have been unkind. But they are still our families. And…even as former knights of the empire…it is still our duty to protect them. You think Zink is going to be of any use in this situation? They are completely defenseless."
They looked at each other for a long, strained moment. Eugeo was the first to speak.
"Don't forget your sword."
She gave him an unhappy smile and a nod before scooping the saddle and bridle back into her arms and marching out the door towards her dragon. Outside the moon was full and providing plenty of light. Amayori was still keening to the north, slightly louder now. Stepping up to the beast Alice set her burden on the ground and placed her palms on the sides of the dragon's neck in an attempt to sooth her.
"It is alright, old friend. Thank you for warning us. We are going to have a look and then come right back. Sound good?"
The dragon gave a low purr in response. As Alice reached back down for the saddle, Amayori lowered herself to the ground to make the task easier for her master. This was a routine the two had developed through years of practice and trust. Just as Alice was finishing fastening Amayori's gear, she heard the tell-tale sound of Eugeo's wheels on the grass. She turned to look at him only to see that he had put on his own coat and boots, and cradled in his lap was the Osmanthus Blade and the Blue Rose Sword. She raised a skeptical brow.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm coming with you."
Alice didn't even bother protesting. She could tell from the firm set of his jaw that he had already made up his mind. She simply nodded and took the swords from his grasp, tying them securely to the dragon saddle.
"Do you need my assistance climbing up, or is that something you can do yourself?"
"Unfortunately, it seems that I can only manipulate the objects around me. If I could move myself, I would have ditched the chair months ago. So…will you please help me up?"
For a moment, Alice felt a wave of adoration wash over her. Ever since she was a child she had loved the blonde haired boy with the green eyes. However, that love had only been the shallow affections of a young girl. It was all she had been capable of at the time. Now they were both grown, and her love was far deeper. She could see the trust he placed in her by sharing his vulnerabilities, and she cherished that trust.
With a smile she held out both of her hands to him. He clasped her hands tightly, returning her smile with one of his own. She pulled him to his feet and immediately leaned down to wrap both of her arms around his waist. Once she lifted him over her shoulder like a carpet, she took several steps backwards until she leaned against the side of Amayori. This allowed Eugeo to grip the saddle and pull himself up the rest of the way.
"Okay, I'm good. Your turn."
Eugeo now offered his own hand to Alice to help hoist her up. She gladly took it swung onto the dragon's back behind him. Firmly grasping the reins, Alice signaled the dragon to raise into the air.
"Amayori, when we get close try to coast as much as you can. We don't want to alert whatever is out there to our presence."
The dragon gave a low whine in response and flew higher into the night sky. Above the tree tops it was easy to see the light burning brighter than before. Even more disturbing was how close it was. This intrusion had already passed the twin lakes and were only about half a kilor from their little cabin. This placed them only two and a half kilors from the village. Far too close.
As they approached it also became apparent that there was actually more than one light. Torches being carried by more than a hundred individuals. As commanded, Amayori ceased flapping her massive wings and floated on the wind, circling the group below. Alice squinted her eyes at the ground. Even with the full moon it was difficult to make out anything.
"I'm going to get a closer look. Eugeo, you wait here with Amayori for my signal."
And before he could fully process what she had said Alice had already jumped. With her sword clutched tightly in her hands she fell through the air. Managing to hit only a few tree branches on the way down she landed roughly ten mels away from the road. As stealthily as she could she approached the path. Peering out from behind a tree a little less than three mels away she was finally able to get a clear look at the unwelcome visitors.
Goblins and Orcs. Just as they had feared. And they were approaching fast.
Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, she sprinted through the brush a little ways further south. Her [Perfect Weapon Control] worked best at a distance and she needed to place as much space between herself and the enemy as possible if she wanted the chance to use it. About to step out onto the path she gripped the hilt of the Osmanthus Blade, preparing to pull it from its sheath.
I am sorry I neglected you all these months. But PLEASE. Help me now.
She didn't even want to think about the state the blade would be in. So she didn't. Without hesitation she pulled the sword from the golden covering only to find it in perfect condition. She felt herself getting choked up when she realized what must have happened. Or more precisely, what Eugeo had done. With her head held high Alice confidently walked to the middle of the road, ready to confront the army. Planting her feet shoulder width apart she stood with her sword in her right hand and the sheath in her left.
Waiting.
She could tell when the torch light finally revealed her. The ones in front started excitedly yelling at one another. It was an ium girl! Kill the iumgirl! Alice drew in a deep breath and with the strongest, most authoritative voice she possessed she yelled out to the invaders, "HALT!"
And much to her surprise, they did.
"My name is Alice! As long as I live, the human realm will not fall to you! So be gone! Return to your homeland. Now! Or you will die where you stand!"
Their excited chattering became louder again. Many of them were laughing at her. One of the goblins in the front started yelling, "I'll kill you! Eats your guts ium woman!" The sight of their sickly yellow eyes and the sound of their roars of hatred and greed most likely would have sent Zink and his fellow men at arms running for their mothers.
But Alice's mind was calm. Resolved.
"Very well. If that is your response…" Alice let out another commanding shout, this time to the heavens. "Amayori," she saw the dragon still circling in the sky, "BURN THEM!"
There was a storm of wings beating as all the goblins and orcs looked up at the same time. The massive dragon plunged towards them, her shape a dark shadow against the moonlit night sky. She opened her jaws wide. There was a bright flicker in her throat, and then—
Woosh!
Brilliant light shot forth. The beam of heat landed about five mels in front of Alice before swinging to the north. After the briefest of pauses, a line of tremendous flames erupted from the ground toward the sky. Engulfed, the goblins shrieked and screamed as the force of the eruption threw them off their feet. The ones in the back who had seen the attack coming jumped to the sides of the road. The dragon's breath had dispatched over two dozen attackers all at once, simultaneously causing cracks to form in the dirt path. Even with the rain they had been experiencing, the heat of the fire had immediately evaporated any moisture that might have lingered.
From this moment on, I fight for that which is important to me. For the lives of my sister and parents. I fight…for the sake of what Kirito and Eugeo sacrificed everything for. I fight for lives of the common people that Kirito and Eugeo fought to save.
She could practically feel that lingering self-doubt and powerlessness dry up inside her, consumed in the blast of Amayori's pure white light. That light raced throughout her body, eventually gathering in the eye hidden behind her black bandage and giving off an incredible heat. A fierce pain shot from her eye socket through the back of her head, causing her to grit her teeth. But this pain was old, familiar, and almost like a long-lost friend. With her left hand she grabbed the scrap of cloth that wound around her head and ripped it loose.
Her right eyelid, which had remained closed for nearly half a year, now lifted. In the middle of her darkened vision, red light was spreading and pulsing. The sight of the now burning trees from her left eye overlapped the image until the discrepancy eventually dissolved and the image became whole.
With both eyes she looked down at the black cloth. The bandage, faded from repeated washing, was a piece of Kirito's clothing that he had ripped loose for her. It had protected her right eye for months after the seal had blown it out of her head. And now, the time had arrived where its life was exhausted. She watched as it began to vanish into thin air. She pressed it to her lips before it completely faded away.
"Thank you, Kirito. Thank you, Eugeo," she whispered. "I am all right now. Though I may still falter, my purpose is crystal clear. I shall persevere for the sake of our cause."
As the scrap vanished, she looked up to see with her improved vision almost a hundred orcs and goblins charging into the open space. Behind her she could hear the forest snapping and cracking as more trees caught fire. There was no fear in Alice's heart as she faced down the enemy army by herself. It was amazing how simply knowing who you were could restore one's bravery. She lifted her right arm to raise the gleaming golden sword above her head. She sucked in a lungful of scorching air and shouted—
"ENHANCE ARMAMENT!"
It was the first time in half a year, but the sword obeyed her anyway. With a sound reminiscent of churning, boiling water, the golden blade split into countless tiny pieces, reflecting the light of the fire as they danced up into the air. The goblins rushing forward slowed down a bit as they caught sight of the beautiful and terrifying display. But then an especially large orc—their commander?—stepped forward from the middle of the pack.
He lifted his two-handed axe and roared, "Forward! You stupid ium girl. I'm Morrika, the foot harvester! AND I WILL CRUSH YOU!"
"Amayori!" she shouted, and a huge dark silhouette plunged from the sky above. The dragon didn't have enough accumulated fire elements to use her fire breath again, but she did intimidate the enemies with her size and thunderous cry as her belly nearly clipped their heads. Alice had barely enough time to notice Eugeo gripping his own sword in his hand before they flew passed. Once they had, Alice swung her right arm forward.
"Now swarm, my flowers!"
With a buzzing rush, the storm of pointed glowing golden petals overwhelmed the creatures in front of her. Alice thought she heard a dull thud of something falling to the ground behind her. This needed to end quickly before the fire spread too far and got out of hand. The first several rows of goblins died first. The orc leader, Morrika, was no exception. He fell to the ground with a loud crash. His axe laying helplessly beside him. A wash of blood now covered the road. As they watched their leader fall, the other dark denizens stopped short. Alice could see the fear in their eyes as her flowers continued their destructive dance.
"Hear me! The End Mountains separate our lands. Dig through it all you want, but as long as we knights exist, you are not to set foot here again. Make your choice! Step forward and drown in your own blood. Or retreat to your lands of darkness!"
It took fewer than five seconds for the goblin in the lead to turn the other way.
The rest followed soon after.
Alice reformed the blade of her divine weapon and sheathed it. An exhausted breath escaped her. Her shoulders sagged slightly and all she wanted was to go home. Back to bed. Snuggled up next to Eugeo. A loud popping noise snapped her mind back to the present moment. Bed wasn't an option just yet. Now she had to find a way to put out the fire.
There was more than enough spacial resources thanks to the blood covering the trail, but this was dragon flame. It didn't matter how many aqueous elements she summoned, they would simply turn to steam before she could use them. This wasn't good. Her breathing sped up in panic. Every exhale accentuated by a chilling white fog…wait.
"Enhance Armament."
She spun to look behind her. There, laying face down on the ground, about 4 mels away from her was Eugeo. His right arm was outstretched, the broken tip of the Blue Rose Sword digging into the dirt. A giant phosphorescent magic circle spread out underneath him. And the next thing Alice knew…everything was covered in ice. The bushes, the trees, even the flames themselves had been encased in ice. It was as though she now stood in a forest of ice sculptures depicting burning trees. It was equal parts horrifying and beautiful.
Looking back at him she noticed him struggling to sit up and rushed over. When she tried to stop she immediately slipped and fell, of course. Eugeo turned his head at the sound of her impact and began shaking. Rubbing her side to try and sooth the dull ache now throbbing there, she glanced up and scowled at his pursed lips. He was clearly holding in a laugh.
"I do not think this is very funny."
That seemed to do it. He rolled over onto his back and started laughing uncontrollably. And just like that, Alice felt as though she were back in her childhood. He had laughed so much back then. It warmed her heart to hear it now. Drowning in a wave of relief and giddiness, she couldn't help but join in.
And that was how a very worried Selka Zuberg found them less than a minute later.
-WoU-
"Father wanted to say goodbye to you, too, but he seemed busy. He left as soon as he woke up this morning. He didn't even eat breakfast. I'm…I'm sure that deep down he was happy that you came home. Please, I want you to believe that."
Alice gave her younger sister a sad smile.
The night before Selka had, on a whim, decided to spend the night at her parent's home instead of at the church. This meant she had stayed up late to finish preparations for the children's breakfast the following morning. And as the Zuberg family home was located on the northern end of the village, on her walk there she'd had a perfect view of the forest spontaneously catching fire.
Of course this had prompted her to run screaming for her parents. Very soon after that Selka, her parents, Eugeo's parents, his brothers, all the men at arms, and a handful of Barbossa's field hands had run up the hill with buckets of water. Upon finding the duo laughing mercilessly on the ground, it was made very clear to the two of them that they were no longer welcome.
Even on the outskirts of town.
Stepping forward, Alice enveloped her beloved sibling in a fierce hug. This would be the last one for a while and she wanted to make it count. Alice glanced over Selka's head to the snowcapped mountains. After the villagers had gone home, Alice and Eugeo had ridden Amayori to the cave in the End Mountains. Using the Blue Rose Sword's dormant memory [Eternal Ice] Eugeo sealed up the entrance to the cave. Just like the trees in the forest, that ice would never melt unless he decided that it would.
Releasing Selka from her grip, Alice stepped back and placed her hands on the sister in training's shoulders.
"I understand that, Selka," she whispered bringing their foreheads to rest against one another. "But in his eyes I am a criminal, and as the elder in charge of this village, he must act as he sees fit. Even if it means turning away his own daughter."
Selka's shoulder's slumped.
"I know."
She moved to hug Eugeo next who had been sitting off to the side in the grass watching the pair. As his chair had already been secured to Amayori, he didn't really have much of a choice. The young girl stalked over to him before collapsing on her knees and flinging her arms around him, obviously upset.
"Hey, don't worry about us. We're like a bad copper. We always come back."
Selka buried her face further into his shoulder and tightened her grip around his neck in response. He rubbed soothing circles into her back, refusing to let go until she did. Finally, she leaned back and pouted at him.
"…Try not to let literal years pass by this time. Okay, big brother?"
"Okay."
She stood up and smoothed out her skirt before turning to the dragon.
"I can't believe you have a dragon."
Alice beamed in pride, reaching up to stroke the beast on her neck. Selka turned to look at her with a bewildered expression.
"How did you get a dragon?"
"That is a long, complicated story. One that I believe we will save for the next time we meet. Sound fair?"
"…I guess." The pout became more severe.
Alice smiled warmly before walking over to Eugeo and beginning their awkward dance of getting him into the saddle. And, just like the night before, Eugeo offered her a hand. And also like before, she eagerly accepted it. They both turned to Selka one last time.
"Well…we're off!"
"I know. Take care…and make sure you come back, sister."
"I will. I promise."
"We promise," Eugeo chimed in. "Also, please say goodbye to Old Man Garitta for us, too? Be good…and study hard."
"I will! I'll be a good and proper holy woman…and then…one day…"
Selka couldn't finish her sentence. She put on a brave smile. Alice nodded to her, feeling a deep reluctance to go. Feeling tears forming in the corners of her eyes, she turned her face to the bright blue sky. With a crack of the reins, the dragon began bounding powerfully through the field.
One day they would return here.
Even if they fell in battle, their hearts would come back. Alice brushed aside the droplets stuck in her eyelashes and barked a forceful, "Hyah!"
She felt weightless as the dragon left the ground. Amayori caught the updraft, circling and racing up into the sky. Alice tried her very best to burn those last few images into her mind: the vast barley fields and forests, the never changing Rulid, Selka running after them frantically waving both her arms.
"So…what kind of welcome do you think we will get?"
Alice glanced back at Eugeo sitting behind her. It was clear from his expression that he was trying to distract her. Oh Stacia, she loved him for trying, but they both new it was a fruitless endeavor. The eviction was still too fresh.
"I am not sure. Hopefully we will be better received by this group than the one six months ago."
"Agreed."
10/07/2021
Hey guys! First of all, I'm sorry about the ridiculous wait. Now before you all come after me with your virtual torches and pitchforks, I think we all need to take a moment to remember that it is a certain black swordsman's 13th birthday today, and I do believe that he would want us to be kind to one another.
Besides, I won't even try to explain away why this took so long anyway. There was some mental health stuff, some physical health stuff, some mental health stuff made worse by the physical health stuff. Let's just say that a lot of stuff happened and I have definitely learned my lesson about promising updates.
Having said that, one thing that has taken up a bit more of my time than usual is being a moderator for the "SAO Fan Fiction Central" Discord server. Yes, that is a real thing. It was started by Count Gwaffy, AKA Grafian (Alicization in Perpetuity), my co-mods are TigerCry (Little Moments) & TwistedFilms (The Swordsman Chronicles), and we have several other fun people in the chat such as Agent94 (Aincrad Retold). If you have any interest in joining and chatting with some pretty awesome people (or hounding me to get my updates out sooner) the link is at the bottom.
Just remove the spaces as FFN really doesn't like links.
I think that's it until next time, when we will be checking in with Kirito and Asuna. I do have some other story ideas that I've been chomping at the bit to work on, and now that I have (finally) updated this I no longer feel guilty about doing so. If you don't follow me, be sure to keep an eye out for those on the main page. I hope to see some of you on the Discord. Stay awesome!
discord . gg / z9Pz3Jzc7y